The effects of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug on behavior and physiological parameters of beef cows and calves assisted at calving

Abstract

An assisted calving can negatively impact the health and behav­ior of beef cows and calves. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) administered after a difficult calving to the cow or the calf as a pain mitigation strategy have been shown to im­prove behaviors in dairy cows and calves, weight gain in beef and dairy calves, and vigor in dairy calves. However, the effects of NSAIDs on beef cows’ and calves’ behaviors related with pain and cow-calf bonding after an assisted calving have not been studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of administering an NSAID to beef cattle after an as­sisted calving by measuring changes in behaviors related with pain and the cow-calf bond, transfer of passive immunity in calves, and physiological parameters related with pain.